Hidden Face
by ladynstitch
Summary: Emily's cousin comes to visit but not everything is as simple as it seems. The team gets involved in case, that turns personal.
1. Chapter 1: The Night Before

A/N: Co written by Auraya-of-the-White, I do not own Criminal Minds or it's charcters, Hope you guys enjoy the story please Read and Review

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What had she done? She was mad, upset at herself, it wasn't supposed to happen like this…..at least she had done it before. Her past practice should ensure that everything occurred perfectly. She started a mental checklist in her head:

-Double layer of gloves _check_

-Gun to avoid close contact blood splatter _check_

-Cool night, no DNA from sweat _check_

-Dark jeans, black top, black hooded sweat shirt, and a ski mask _check_

-A person found at random _check_

-Black socks over shoes, no shoe prints would be left behind _check_

Everything had transpired flawlessly. A single gun shot to the back of the head of a person selected randomly who was walking alone. She was still mad at herself for letting her emotions overrule her rational side, but she knew what would happen if she kept her anger bottled up inside. She would only end up hurting people in a more violent way.

It was a good thing that she had spent an entire year studiously watching CSI: NY and had taken the month long forensic class at a nearby community college. Who would have known that it would come in handy when killing someone?

Wait…there was a problem. She was leaving tomorrow to visit her cousin for a week in D.C. If the murders suddenly stop while she's gone, it may look a bit suspicious to law enforcement officials investigating. At first there had been two murders a week for two weeks. By the fourth victim, she thought an obvious pattern was beginning to emerge so she only killed one person the following week. Plus the three this week makes….Eight victims total. To suddenly stop would be an anomaly and raise a red flag. Oh well, she'll just have to think of something.

She, as a person, had changed since the last time she had seen her cousin. She used to wear fancy dresses and skirts everyday, perfectly prim and proper. Nowadays, she wore jeans and t-shirts, and had started to follow the fashion trends, caring about her outer image. She might even apply some makeup every once in a while. No one would notice these little behavior changes more than her cousin.

The next day she was hurriedly passed off by her parents into a cab heading to L.A.X. About forty-five minutes later she had checked her bags in, passed security, and walked to the gate. Her flight wasn't scheduled to arrive for another two hours. She wasted the time, alternating between the cheesy shops every airport had, and finally sitting down in an uncomfortable seat at her gate. She paged through a magazine and listened to music while waiting.

Two and a half hours later, the airline personnel announce her row number and she boards the plane, her dark purple backpack slung over one shoulder. She was glad that her parents had skimped on the babysitter service. She was old enough to fly alone. She found her seat, stowed her bag overhead, and settled into her window seat, buckling her seat belt. An elderly lady sat next to her. They exchanged small smiles and remained silent. She suffered her way through the annoying pre flight video and popped some gum into her mouth to reduce the pressure on her ears.

She listened to her music for an hour until she became bored. She then typed random things on her laptop and then fell promptly asleep until her flight stopped in Texas, where she changed planes. She slept again on the connecting flight, awaking from a squeak and a roar as the plane landed in Virginia.


	2. Chapter 2: The Reunion

**A/N: co-written by Auraya-of-the-White. I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS OR ITS CHARCTERS. Please read and review**

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The team had just come back from a mentally strenuous case and for some odd reason Hotch decided to stay longer in Texas for a while. Tonight was Friday, bar night for the team, but sadly this time Agent Prentiss couldn't go, even though she could use a couple of drinks. She tried to sneak out of the office without anyone noticing _one step, two steps, and three steps _but no such luck. She jumped slightly as she was stopped by somebody's voice.

"And where do you think you're going?"

The voice was deep and kind. She turned around to see Morgan leaning behind her against the wall. JJ was standing next to him holding a file in her hands.

"It's Friday," she emphasized, "We always go to the bar on Fridays. You know that Emily," JJ said, with a hint a frustration in her tone.

Garcia and Rossi approached the group, listening in on the conversation.

"I can't go tonight." Emily sighed regrettably.

"Why can't you go?" Garcia questioned.

"You guys ready to go?" Reid yelled from across the bullpen.

"Prentiss isn't coming." someone mumbled disappointedly in a low voice. The tradition of bar night would not be the same without Emily.

"I wish I could join you, but I have other plans for tonight."

Silence fell, everyone was curious but no one wanted to pry.

Finally, JJ spoke up, "Like what?"

"_Here we go,"_ Emily thought, "I have to go to the airport," she coughed out.

She had an incredibly wonderful team, but they were always curious and once they got a hint of something interesting, they would never let go.

Morgan shifted to a standing position, "Airport? Why?" he asked.

"I need to pick up my cousin." she said calmly hoping they would drop the matter.

Instead Rossi added his opinion to the conversation, "Can't she take a cab to your place?"

Emily was beginning to get a little annoyed, "No, she doesn't know where I live and she doesn't have the key."

Of course, Rossi would be the one to make a _wonderful_ suggestion that never worked out right, "Why don't you call her and give her the address for O'Malley's and she can take a cab there and have a drink with us?" he offered.

Emily let out a laugh, and sternly told Rossi, "_No_."

The team was silent and slightly confused. Emily seemed very defensive about this cousin of hers. She didn't usually get irritated with the team's inquisitive questions that fast.

Emily headed off towards the elevator, a smile playing on her face at the thought of her cousin at a bar.

"Why not?" Reid shouted after her.

She turned around, took two steps forward and smirked "She's only twelve." Emily then disappeared into the now open elevator.

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She had gotten off the plane quickly, her row close to the front. The airport was open and airy, and she could easily see the signs pointing to baggage claim. She walked quickly through the uncongested hallways.

She stood, waiting, in front of baggage carousel six, watching the conveyor belt circle round and round. It took about five minutes for her flight's baggage to start showing up. She looked at the bags: _black suitcase, brown suitcase; gray, black, brown, gray, gray, ugly floral print, black, brown_…wait, ugly floral print was hers.

She quickly ran to it, trying to snatch it before the rotating carousel caused it to disappear around the bend. She yanked at it to no avail, the suitcase wouldn't budge. The more she struggled, the more she seemed to annoy the other people around her. She ignored their mutterings, they could lend a hand.

As she continued to pull and walk with her heavy suitcase, a hand entered her vision, strongly grabbed the handle of her suitcase and lifted it off. She turned around to see a physically fit man with black hair, a broad stern face, and brown eyes placing her suitcase in front of her.

"Thanks, sir." she mumbled shyly, looking down.

She was about to leave when her eye caught something… he had an F.B.I badge hung around his neck on a silver chain.

"Do you work for the F.B.I?" she asked enthusiastically.

He looked at her before narrowing his eyes and replying with a concise but firm, "Yes."

The man had a very stern and serious aura that surely frightened many away, but she couldn't stop there, she pressed on excitedly, "My cousin works for the F.B.I, she is in the B.A.U, her name is Emily Prentiss!"

This statement made his eyes widen in surprise for a split second. He barely nodded in recognition before he left quickly without looking back. She shrugged, intimidated by the strange man and exited the airport through a revolving door.

The smell wasn't much different then L.A. The air seemed faintly cleaner but the universal sounds of traffic filled the air. She stood at the curb, her floral suitcase standing next to her with its handle extended. She was just about to pull out her cell phone from her backpack when a black SUV pulled up in front of her.

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Perfect, she was right on time. Emily pulled up to the curb into a temporary parking spot next to her cousin.

Wow, her cousin had changed over the years. Emily had expected her to be wearing an expensive dress carrying a soft pink suitcase; all dressed up like a proper lady.

She had never been more wrong. Instead, her young cousin wore a neon green shirt with a black and white striped vest over it, faded grey denim skinny jeans, and a pair of silver and black high top shoes. She had changed so much since last time Emily had seen her, five years ago. Her hair wasn't put up and naturally curly like it used to be. Now it hung down and was flat ironed perfectly straight.

Her cousin had grown into her own individual person away from the ideal daughter she used to be. She and Emily were more similar than either one realized.

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She hadn't been able to see into the SUV because of the tinted windows but now she didn't need to. Emily was approaching her, arms outstretched. They hugged briefly and then Emily loaded her luggage into the car.

Wow, Em hadn't changed much since last time she had seen her. She used to have straight hair that partially curved in at the bottom, and now she still had straight hair, instead layered, with no curves. It worked for her… she liked it.

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	3. Chapter 3: The Meeting

**A/N: Co-written by** **Auraya-of-the-White. I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS OR IT'S CHARCTERS. Read and Review please!**

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They both climbed into the car and buckled their seatbelts. Emily pulled away and began driving back to her place. An awkward silence filled the car. Neither of them knew what to say.

Emily finally broke the silence, "You look different from last time I saw you."

She grinned, "You do too. I like your haircut."

Emily gave a smile in return and said "Thanks."

Emily concentrated on the road, while they both remained quiet. She glanced over at her cousin for a moment noticing something seemed wrong.

"How was your flight?"

She finally raised her head to look up at Emily, "Good I guess," she shrugged, "I slept through the flight to Texas then switched planes and I slept through the flight to Virginia too."

Emily smiled and then asked "Do you miss your home?"

Her cousin was puzzled. She hadn't really become homesick yet. She was more concerned why Emily asked her that question. Did she seem sad?

She hesitated before answering, still confused, "Not really. I'm sort of glad to get away."

Now Emily looked perplexed, "Why?" Emily asked slightly concerned by her answer. Why did she want to get away from home?

Again her cousin took a while to reply, "We have a serial killer murdering people at random."

Emily's eyes widened in disbelief. How could a killer be loose in that city? It had always seemed so friendly and nice, but Emily knew that appearances were often deceiving. Every city had a seedy underbelly.

She pressed on delicately, her cousin was only twelve, "How is the unsub killing people?"

Her cousin answered the question, unperturbed, "With a gun."

Emily's interest had been piqued, there weren't that many serial cases in the U.S. at one time. "How many victims in a month?"

She paused a moment, thinking. She didn't want to tip her hand and obviously reveal her identity. Her plan was in place for her week long absence, so she took the number of victims and subtracted one.

"Seven," she answered calmly, trying to not smile. Here she was sitting next to her profiler cousin, pulling off an amazing deception.

"Seven?" Emily mused, lost in her thoughts.

She tried to quickly change the subject, better not push her luck, "When I was trying to get my luggage at the airport here, I wasn't able to pull it off of the carousel so this man helped me. He was wearing an F.B.I badge and when I mentioned your name he looked at me funny and left. He was a stern looking man, someone who rarely smiles. I think he knows you." she told Em while staring her.

Emily's eyes widened. She looked at her cousin then back to the road, grinning, "I guess you met my boss," Emily laughed.

She was shocked. She didn't know that he was Em's boss!

"Are you serious?" she questioned, giggling.

Emily was still laughing, "Yeah," she said a tad more calmly.

"He scared me a bit," she admitted quietly.

Emily smiled again, "He tends to have that effect on people."

She shook her head, what a coincidence.

Silence filled the car again until Emily spoke up softly, "It's really good to see you again Casey."

Casey looked fondly at her, nodding "You too, Emily."

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They arrived at her apartment building, walking up the stairs to the third floor for exercise. Emily set down Casey's suitcase in front of her door and pulled out her keys. Emily was about to unlock her door when she noticed some people walking down the hall towards her. Emily looked closer noticing that it was Morgan, Garcia, and JJ. Emily shook her head. They really never gave up once they were curious about something.

Casey asked, baffled, "Who are they?" pointing at the people walking down the hall.

Emily sighed, replying "Some of my team."

Casey looked at them in awe. They finally stood in front of Emily and Casey.

"What are you guys doing here?" Emily demanded, irritated.

"You dropped your phone in the elevator when you left the bullpen earlier," Garcia responded calmly, the bright yellow baubles bouncing in her hair.

They all scrutinized Casey curiously. She met their gaze steadily, staring right back at them. Emily then hastily grabbed the phone out of Morgan's hand.

She quickly said, "Thanks, bye now," and tried opening the door again.

JJ spoke up, "Wait! Aren't you going to introduce us to your cousin?"

Emily sighed loudly again, and regretfully tore her vision from the door and back to part of the team. "Fine," she agreed unhappily, "JJ, Morgan, Garcia, meet my cousin Casey."

Casey shook each of their hands and happily said "Nice to meet you all."

Casey was impressed by Em's coworkers. They didn't have a typical boring job. Everyone was silent for a moment while JJ, Garcia and Morgan intently focused on Casey. No one knew much about Emily. She was always a private person.

"So you're really Emily's cousin?" JJ smiled friendly at Casey.

Casey smiled back and replying simply "Yeah."

Emily moved to stand next to Morgan, the whole group facing Casey now.

"So how was your flight?" Garcia tossed out, trying to make small talk.

Casey smirked, "I wouldn't know…I slept through it," she laughed along with everyone.

"So, where are you from Casey?" Morgan boldly asked next.

Casey smiled again. For some reason, she found their polite questions amusing, "The smog filled city of L.A."

Garcia's eyes widened in concern, "From L.A all the way to here! You must be tired honey,"

Casey shook her head no, and smiled once more, "No not really. Like I said, I fell asleep on the plane."

Garcia nodded understandingly.

"Well, we'd better get going. Nice to meet you Casey. I hope we can see each other again while you're here."

Casey agreed, "I'd like that JJ. You seem like a very nice person."

Casey shook each of their hands once more and waved good-bye to them as they walked down the hall. Emily and Casey smiled at each other and Emily unlocked the door at last.


	4. Chapter 4: The Night

**A/N: Co-written by Auraya-of-the-White. I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS OR IT'S AWESOME CHARACTERS. Please review. **

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As Casey walked into the two floor condo, the first thing she saw was the magnificent view of the Washington National Mall. Em must have paid a lot to get such an amazing sight out her balcony window. Casey stood looking in awe, but after noticing how tired she was, she quickly turned around and dropped her bags with a thump. Emily's eyes jumped from the window back to Casey.

Casey curiously examined the apartment. They stood there silently, Emily remembering the day she was smacked over the head with a 2 by 4, bringing back memories of when Section Chief Erin Strauss had attempted to blackmail her. It had ultimately led to her temporary resignation. That memory brought her back to the day she was supposed to start at the BAU but was turned away by SSA Hotchner.

Casey glanced at Emily. She seemed tense and Casey could see the worry in Em's eyes.

"You okay?" Casey questioned, staring at Emily.

Emily snapped out of her daydream, shaking her head, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about my job."

Casey turned her head back to the window, and said teasingly, "Well don't. I'm here and it's the weekend so your work can't drag you back to the office…Emily, it's time to relax and take a break for once."

Emily smiled and faced Casey, "You're right…It's late, we should get some sleep if I'm going to show you around all the tourist spots tomorrow. I'll sleep here and you can sleep in my roo–"

Emily was cut off mid sentence.

"No! It's okay, sleep in your room," Casey urged, "I'll sleep out here. I'm used to sleeping on couches."

Emily scrutinized Casey's face, slightly confused as to the tone of her cousin's voice. "Are you sure? Because I'm totally fine with sleeping out he–"

Again Emily was interrupted.

"_Yes_! I'm sure. Just get me a blanket and pillow and I'll be fine," Casey insisted.

Emily gave in, walked over to a closet and pulled out a pillow and a black comforter and set them on the couch.

"Where should I put this ugly suitcase of mine?"

Emily looked around the room and then shrugged, "Anywhere's good."

Casey placed it down on the ground next to the couch and opened up her suitcase. Rummaging through it, she took out a white tank top and black and white striped sweatpants.

She heard Em move across the room and Casey turned around to see her opening a safe. Casey focused on seeing the combination that Emily was using: 29; 39; 5. The safe popped open with a small click. Emily took her backup gun, placed it inside the safe, and shut the door firmly. Casey ran the numbers through her head a couple of times and then asked Emily where the bathroom was. Emily showed her to the bathroom downstairs and then started heading back up to the living room when Casey stopped her before she got to the stairs.

Her cousin quietly said, "Hey Emily, thanks for letting me stay with you while my parents are in France." Casey looked down at the clothes in her hand, shyly.

She gave a warm smile, "You're welcome Casey."

Emily was trotting up the stairs when she heard Casey say "Night Em."

She turned around, "Good night to you too."

Emily then continued back up the stairs. Casey entered the bathroom and changed into her white tank top and sweatpants. When finished, she went back to the living room and lay down on the couch, blankets cocooning her. She turned onto her side and fell asleep slowly, the jet lag making it seem too early to sleep.

She dreamt about her future plans, how she would go to Stanford Law and become a prosecutor in New York. Her dream was pleasant until she heard screaming. She was unsure if it was her inside her dream or in real life.

Casey woke up abruptly, and the screaming continued. The shrieks sounded like they were coming from inside the condo. "_Emily!_" she thought. Casey stood up frantically. Now Em was shouting too, "_Get away! Somebody help!_"

Casey ran over to the safe where Emily kept her gun. She stared at the safe for a few moments unsure if she should really open it. The screams and shouts got louder, making up her mind for her. Casey entered the combination quickly, 39; 29; 5. She pulled at the handle but it wouldn't open. The screams got louder and more desperate, she tried it once more, slower this time. She yanked at the handle again and it opened. The gun was lying on top of a couple of $100 bills and some jewelry. She pulled the gun out and shut the safe.

She flipped off the safety and put her finger on the trigger. Casey kept it pointed towards the floor. She didn't want to shoot anyone on accident and started walking towards the stairs. The gun resting securely in her hands, she slowly walked down the stairs. The yelling was getting louder as she moved closer towards Emily's closed door. She twisted the handle slowly; unsure of what would be behind the door.

She pushed the door opened with her shoulder, raising the gun with her two hands at the same time. The door slammed against the wall. She looked around the room, her weapon sweeping in front of her.

Emily was lying on her bed, writhing and screaming. Casey looked around the dark room. No one was there, not even in the closet. She looked at Emily. Her eyes were still closed and she continued shouting. Casey still wasn't sure if there was someone else in the room so she clutched the gun in one hand, shaking Em with the other.

"_Emily! Emily, wake up! You're screaming!_" Casey shouted over Emily's cries.

Casey was getting extremely frustrated, Emily would not wake up!

She yelled one last time, "_Wake up Emily! Dammit Emily, wake up!_"

Emily finally stopped screaming and woke up with a jerk, sitting up in bed. Emily looked scared and confused.

She sleepily asked, "What just happened?" and then noticed the gun. Wide awake all of a sudden, she yelled stunned, "_Why do you have my gun?!_"

Casey put down the gun on Em's dresser. "You were screaming so I thought someone was attacking you. I grabbed the gun and came down here. You scared me," Casey explained, concerned, her hands trembling slightly from the adrenaline rush.

Silence fell as Emily turned on the light next to her, "Thanks for waking me up but what if there was someone up here attacking me? What would you do? I know you don't know how to use a gun. You could have put a bullet through your hand or through me. What were you thinking?"

This accusation made Casey mad and she immediately tensed up. "You know what Emily? I've changed since last time you saw me. I _do_ know how to use a gun. I made sure I did just in case someone attacked me or someone else in my home. I also took a self defense class after you where held hostage by Cyrus."

She paused to compose herself and continued, "In that class I learned how to disarm someone with a knife or a gun_. So don't act like you know what I know!_"

Casey walked out of her bedroom and before closing the door, said harshly, "Good Night Em."

Emily heard Casey's footsteps going up the stairs. God, she was right. She had changed; she wasn't a little kid anymore. She wasn't that shy, sweet little girl she used to be. Now she's become an independent, outgoing, smart, normal twelve year old who doesn't wear fancy expensive dresses with fancy shoes to Embassy parties anymore. She would wear a nice, cute but inexpensive dress with skate shoes. She's different now.

Emily rubbed her eyes and got out of bed. She picked up her gun off the dresser, opened the door and walked up the stairs. Casey was sitting on the corner of the couch reading a book. The lamp next to Casey was turned on and Emily could barely make out the title, 'Things Not Seen.' Emily walked to the safe, opened it and put the gun back inside.

"Good book?" Emily asked, locking the safe.

Casey looked up from her book at Emily, "Yeah, I guess. I really don't like reading."

Emily sighed, unsure of what to do or say. She turned towards Casey, "Look Casey. I'm sorry, I just assumed that you…well…wouldn't know how."

Casey looked up and smiled, "It's okay Em. You were right. I shouldn't have scared you like that and put the gun down before I woke you up. I mean I would be freaked out too if I saw my little cousin pointing a gun at my face at three in the morning."

Emily grinned and let out a small laugh, "So how do you kids say it now? We cool?"

Casey snorted at Emily's sentence, but let out a kind, "Yeah, we're cool"

They smiled at each other, "Good, 'cause JJ called me last night before I fell asleep. She wanted to know if tomorrow, well now today, we wanted to get breakfast with her and the rest of the team."

Casey looked confused. She didn't think that she had made a good impression. She had only talked to them for a minute or two, but hey, what the heck? Might as well get to know everyone since they all seemed nice.

"Sure, that's cool. What time?"

Emily hoped that the team wouldn't intimidate her with their interrogation style questions. She was glad that Casey seemed to like them and replied, "Okay, since JJ said eight-thirty why don't we get some sleep and I'll set my alarm for…How long will it take you to get up and get ready?"

Casey thought for a while. She had taken a shower yesterday before she left for the airport so she wouldn't have to take another one until tonight.

"Thirty minutes to wake me up then a maximum of ten minutes to get ready."

Emily was shocked, "Thirty minutes to wake up? Why?"

Casey smirked at Emily, "First try waking me up just by saying wake up a couple of times. If that fails, and I guarantee it will, get my phone, click menu then go to my music and play song number five as loud as possible. Then place my phone three inches away from my ear. That usually wakes me up, but if that doesn't work, pour cold water on my head and that should definitely do the trick."

Emily nodded, trying to contain her amusement. She made a mental note to follow those instructions exactly.

"Okay so I will set my alarm for seven. Until then get some sleep _Case_," Emily said, emphasizing Case.

Casey laughed, "Will do _Em_."

Emily went back downstairs and both of them fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5: The Breakfast

**A/N: Co-written by Auraya-of-the-White. I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS OR IT'S CHARACTERS. Please Review**

**A/N: Just wanted to let everyone know, updates won't be as frequent as they used to be, with school starting back up, Auraya-of-the-White and I will be VERY busy. Thank you to all the people that reviewed.**

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Casey heard a soft faint whisper: 'wake up,' 'wake up'. She rolled over burying her face into her pillow, and one second later the first notes of 'Let It Rock' were blasting in her ear. She immediately jerked upright accidently hitting Emily's head on the way. Emotional confusion rushed over her. She wasn't sure what emotion to show first: the pain, shock, relief, or guilt.

She shouted "Sorry! I'm up. Ouch. Dang that's loud!" all at once in a jumble rush.

Emily looked confused, but laughed, "Okay. Get dressed; you seemed tired so I let you sleep in late. Come on, we have to be there in a half an hour."

Casey slipped off the couch and then looked in her bag for something to wear. She ended up pulling out a pair of skinny jeans, a white belt with a big neon orange star on the front, a plain black t-shirt, an orange black striped loose button up shirt, and black converse shoes. She headed towards the bathroom and got changed. It took her five minutes to get changed, two minutes to brush her hair, another two minutes to brush her teeth, and one minute to wash her face and a couple seconds to make sure she had money and her cell phone.

"Exactly ten minutes. I'm impressed!" Emily said, smiling when her cousin joined her in the SUV.

"Why thank you Emily. Should I join the Olympics?" she joked.

Emily and Casey laughed. It was silent for a while longer, Casey still smiling. She missed hanging out with her cousin.

"So who's gonna be there?" Casey asked, trying to sound excited.

Emily thought for a minute, "No doubt JJ, Garcia, and Morgan will be there. There's a good chance Reid and Rossi will be there too. But Hotch probably won't."

They were turning into a parking lot in front of a small diner. Emily parked and they both got out of the large SUV. Emily and Casey started walking to the front door when Casey noticed one of the blinds on a window was pulled slightly up. Behind the window, she saw JJ pointing at her and talking to Morgan, Garcia and a couple of other people she didn't know. She just smiled, looked away like she hadn't seen them and shook her head.

Before Emily opened the door, Casey asked Emily in disbelief, "Did they deliberately sit by the front door and open the blinds to watch us arrive?"

Casey pointed to the window and Emily glanced over. "Yes, pretty much. The team can be extremely curious to the point of being obnoxious."

Emily grinned at Casey and pulled open the door with a chime. They both walked in and took a left turn towards where they had seen the team sitting. The team looked over and they all stood up at once. Emily walked calmly in front of Casey until they reached the table.

"Hey everyone, this is my cousin Casey." She stepped aside and gestured at Casey behind her.

Casey gave a friendly smile, scanning all of their faces. The one she met at the airport wasn't there; he could be in a different department or in another BAU team.

She got lost in her thoughts until Emily brought her back, saying, "Casey, you met Morgan, Garcia, and JJ already."

Casey nodded in agreement and shook their hands again, reaching over the table. "Yep. Nice to see you guys again."

Emily continued with the introductions, "This is David Rossi."

Casey shook his hand too.

"Nice to meet you Casey, call me Rossi," he said with a hint of a smile.

"Nice to meet you too, Rossi," Casey smiled.

Emily then turned her eyes towards Reid, "And this person here is Dr Spencer Reid."

Casey was still smiling, "Nice to meet you Dr Reid," Casey said shaking Reid's hand, her hand somewhat sore from all the hand shaking.

"You may call me Spencer or Reid. They are both commonly used by my friends and colleagues. Spencer is mostly used by both friends and colleagues, while Reid is used only by my colleagues."

Casey's eyes narrowed. She wasn't sure if she should ask him how old he was, her mouth opened then immediately shut. It would have been a bit too rude she decided. They all sat down. Most of the breakfast went like a friendly interrogation:

"So where are you from Casey?" Rossi questioned.

"L.A…well, L.A. County, not like in L.A., L.A. but like…umm…yeah," Casey coughed awkwardly and they all smiled.

"So you're twelve?" Reid inquired.

"Yeah."

A waitress with too much perfume and makeup caked on came over to the table, handing out menus.

She pulled out a notepad and pen, asking, "Can I get you people anything to drink?"

They went around the table ordering, first JJ, then Rossi, Reid, Morgan, Garcia, Emily, and last Casey.

"Two coffees. Just got a text from Hotch he says he's on his way."

"Coffee."

"Coffee."

"Coffee."

"Coffee."

"Coffee."

"Dr. Pepper."

Casey looked up from her menu to see the entire team stare at her in shock. "What?! I like ," she insisted.

They all shrugged and went back at their menus. Casey is about to lay down her menu when she hears a man's voice behind her.

"Sorry I'm late."

Casey turned around to see the tall man she met at the airport. She stood up politely as Em did the same.

"Casey, this is Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner, this is my cousin Casey."

Casey shook his hand firmly, "Nice to see you again Agent Hotchner."

She saw the team gawk at her in disbelief and shock.

Morgan was the first to speak, "Again? What do you mean?"

Casey turned to face Morgan, "I met him at the airport. He got my heavy bag off the baggage carousel for me. Then I saw his FBI badge so I told him who my cousin was. He acted a bit weird."

They all grinned. Casey turned towards Hotch, "No offense but you kinda scared me," she admitted.

Hotch showed a grim smile when everyone started laughing and then sat down on the chair next to Casey. Every time someone spoke it was another question for her:

"What grade are you in?"

"Going into seventh."

"Do you want to go to college?"

"Of course."

"Do you already know what college? And what for?"

"Stanford, and I want to become a prosecutor."

"Hotch used to be a prosecutor."

"Awesome," Casey said excitedly.

And so the conversation continued.


	6. Chapter 6: The Bad Excuse

**A/N: Co-written by Auraya-of-the-White. PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!! I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS OR ITS CHARACTERS.**

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The team continued to bomb Casey with questions one after another. She looked around for an excuse to get up and take a breather when she spotted a bathroom. Bingo, her excuse to freedom.

"Umm…excuse me. I need to use the ladies room, I'll be back soon."

She stood up from the table and walked slowly to the restroom. The longer she could be gone, the better. Casey pushed open the door easily, stepping into the empty, moderately clean restroom for a trucker diner. She locked herself in the last stall and just stood there for a bit, clearing her head. Being constantly pestered for information had worn down her patience and nerves.

Casey reached over to unlock the latch. She was about to leave when she heard the door open and saw two pairs of feet walk in on the grungy linoleum. That was odd. One pair was clearly a male's shoes. Confused, she remained in the stall for a second longer when she heard the click of the restroom door lock.

Her heart sped up as she heard a woman begin to cry. Casey sat down on the toilet seat and put her feet up, tucking her legs under her chin. She breathed quietly, frightened. She had no weapons, nothing to defend herself with.

She heard the male shout, "_Shut up and do what I say and you won't get hurt!_"

Casey closed her eyes and wished she was anywhere but here. She peeked under the stall. The woman lay on the ground, curled in a ball, crying. The man bent down next to her and tied her hands above her head with his belt, and took a gun out of the back of his pants. Casey managed to swallow a squeak and took her phone out, hands shaking with adrenaline. She was not naïve about guns and his semi-automatic could be deadly to both of them. She searched for Emily's number in her contacts, and sent her a text message.

Emily was finishing her coffee when her phone beeped. She dug through her purse for her cell. Flipping it open, her cell said one new text message from Casey.

"That's weird; I just got a text message from Casey."

The team regarded her curiously.

"What do you think it's about?" Rossi questioned.

Emily stared confusedly at her phone, "I don't know. Let's find out."

Emily hit the view button. As she scanned the message, her eyes widened.

"What's the message say?" Garcia asked, serious.

Emily stood up quickly and threw her phone down. As she ran towards the bathroom, she undid the button on her holster and pulled out her sidearm, holding expertly in two hands.

Everyone stared at Emily's retreating back. Hotchner picked up her phone to read the text message. He also jumped up from the table and followed Emily – she needed backup. Now the phone lay in the middle of the table for everyone to see, the message clearly on the screen: '_Emily help im locked in a stall and theres a man attacking a woman he has a gun_.' The rest of the team including Garcia hurried after Hotch. The members carrying their weapons removed their guns. The deserted table was left amongst several patrons staring at the scene developing before them. One of them called a waiter over, and talked urgently to her.

Casey had forgotten to tell Emily that the door was locked. All her self defense courses weren't any good against a gun so she leaned back helplessly and closed her eyes.

Her eyes jolted open when she heard Emily shouting, "FBI. Open up!"

The man cursed first at the woman then at the door.

Morgan's muffled voice came through the door, "Man, if you don't open this door we're gonna knock it down!"

Uncomfortable, Casey shifted her weight to other side of the seat. The following squeak seemed to reverberate through the restroom. She froze, her pounding blood echoing through her ears. The whole bathroom was quiet.

The man turned towards the stalls. "Who's there?" he called out gruffly.

Casey nearly starts crying but her life has taught her to hide away her emotions. Emotions meant you were weak, and weakness was not tolerated.

The man spoke again, "I know you're in there, come out or I'll kill her."

The woman sobbed on the grimy floor, her body shaking. Casey sighed, but she's unwilling to let this person die. She stood up and opens the stall door.

The man smiled predatorily when she comes out, "Oh what do we have here? A little girl? You just made this situation much more interesting. Give me your phone!" he demanded.

Casey dug the cell out of her pocket and handed it to him.

He examined it, "Let's see who you last called…hmm mom…okay now let's see who you last texted. Oh look you texted an Emily…now let's see what you sent her…"

His eyes scanned the message quickly. His face twisted into an ugly mask of anger and fury. He violently threw the phone down and smashed it to smithereens with his boots.

Chills ran down her back as Emily heard the man shouting, "_Who's Emily?! Huh?! Who is she?! Are you the reason those FBI agents are outside that door…why they got here that quickly?! Huh, are you?!_"

Morgan punched the wall next to him, "They have Casey. We have to go in!"

Casey didn't respond. She stood there mutely, slightly in shock. She was furious that _this _man dare try to hurt her or the woman. He shoved her to the ground and kicked her. Casey curled into a ball to protect her ribs, and glared defiantly at him.

This infuriated the man even more, "_Who is Emily?!_" he shouted.

Casey refused to answer again. He kicked her then yanked her up on her feet. She ignored the pain in her aching arm and back. Her vision was swimming with anger but still no one liked getting hurt.

She spat out, "Emily's my cousin. She's an FBI agent, one of them outside." Casey started crying tears of anger and frustration. He made her livid.

The man smiled darkly, "Hey Emily! I think I found your cousin. She's very pretty, I might add. I'll do what I want to her and if you come in both of them are dead."

Emily's eyes widened grew with rage and she growled, "_You sick son of a bitch!_"

Emily ran towards the door and slammed into in with her shoulder. The door held fast. Then the team heard a gunshot followed by a scream.

JJ spoke up gently and sadly, "Emily you heard what he said. If we go in, they will both die. Though now Casey could be already dead."

Hotch held his weapon relaxed by his side, "No it's not her. She's his ticket to freedom and he's not going to let that fly away".

A police officer approached the group suddenly. He had been called by the waitress. They explained the situation and flashed their badges. Emily knew there was nothing that they could do until HRT, the Hostage Rescue Team, showed up. Rossi made one phone call to them and they would be there in five minutes.


	7. Chapter 7: The Rescuing

**A/N: Co-written by Auraya-of-the-White. I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS OR ITS CHARACTERS. Please Read and Reveiw**

* * *

Casey wasn't sure what was happening outside the restroom door. The man was facing the opposite wall and she was sitting on the floor near the door. She was staring at the door, longing for her freedom, when she saw a tiny thing being pushed through the crack between the floor and the door. She guessed that it was a mini optical video camera. She was about to reach for the lock on the door when the man turned around.

"_Hey! What are you doing?! I'm not done with you!" _

Emily's eyes focused on the portable screen connected to the optical video camera. She saw the man walk over to Casey and drag her by the hair towards the other side of the room. He pulled her up and pushed her against the wall, Casey's eyes glaring at him defiantly.

"What a nice belt," he said leering at Casey, "I think I'll take it."

***********************

The others were also gathered in a huddle around the screen. Garcia always had some technology in the trunk of her car. They saw the man reach greedily for her belt, when Casey smacked him across the face. The man's face changed colors rapidly. The team regretfully had a feeling of what would happen next and they hated being helpless.

"Emily, why don't you go get something to eat? We'll stay."

Emily stared at Hotch in disbelief, this was her cousin!

She opened her mouth in protest when Hotch cut her off, "That's an order."

Emily gave in to his glare and sat down with a cup of coffee at a table. The coffee stood untouched on the table as she watched the team's backs intently, hoping to get a read on their body language.

After the man's shock wore off, his temper exploded as he kneed Casey in the stomach and threw her against the door. She protected herself as much as she could from the attack. Thank God she had taken those self defense classes, though they weren't much good against such a bigger man. Casey landed on the camera and crushed it.

Hotch closed his eyes to compose himself. They had lost their only way of knowing what was going on inside the bathroom. Emily saw the stiffing of the team's backs and left to go outside for some fresh air leaving her cell on the table. She knew Hotch would let her nowhere near the door.

Emily's phone rang, and Garcia, who had remained further away from the restroom, picked it up and answered it. She couldn't handle these situations; she was supposed to remain protected by her computers.

"Penelope Garcia speaking, how may I help you?" she asked shakily.

"Bonjour."

"No, Emily is not in a position where she can speak now, may I take a message?"

Garcia lowered her head, sighing. She asked unsteadily, her voice trembling, "Are you serious? What about other family?"

"Ambassador Prentiss?"

"No problem sir. I'll tell Ms. Prentiss right away."

Garcia hung up the phone, tears gathering in her eyes. JJ noticed Garcia's sad countenance, came over, and put her arm around Garcia.

"What's the matter? Who was that on the phone?" JJ asked.

Garcia wiped her eyes and spoke, "I feel so bad for her. Casey's life is in ruins right now. That was the French police. Casey's parents got caught in a deadly shoot out in Marseille, France. They're both dead along with four others. She has to now go live with Emily's mom. She's the next relative in line for custody."

JJ shook her head in sadness; this poor little girl.

Emily reentered the diner and saw JJ and Garcia talking to the group. Garcia's red rimmed eyes told her something bad had happened.

"What's wrong?!" she asked urgently.

Penelope glanced up at Em. She silently mouthed the words "I'm sorry." Emily stared at her confused. Hotch looked meaningfully at Reid, Rossi and Morgan.

"Let's get some more coffee." They walked away leaving Garcia, JJ and Emily together.

"JJ, what's going on?" Emily said desperately.

JJ closed her eyes briefly, "We don't have a clue what's going on in the bathroom; our video feed's dead. And you just got a call from France saying that Casey's parents are dead. They were in a shoot out and now Casey has to go home, pack her belongings, and move to Russia to stay with your mom till she turns eighteen."

Emily blanched in shock.

**************************

The man slammed her face against the wall. Casey took the brunt of the force on her forehead. He then kicked her in the back of her knees, and she fell towards the ground. He continued to kick her and hit her, but Casey wouldn't break, she refused to cry or scream, biting down on her bleeding lip instead. Her anger continued to swell. She knew that she would have to release her emotions once she got out of this mess.

She lay in a heap on the floor as the man bent over her, "Let's try this again, shall we?" he sneered.

He yanked off her orange top and her belt, but as he reached for her jeans, she gathered her energy and punched him hard in his face. The man squealed and rolled backwards in pain. Casey stood up and grabbed the gun he had left stupidly lying nearby on the ground. She was good at pretending to be incapacitated by going limp.

Her face and body had blossoming bruises and bleeding cuts from the several beatings she had endured. She backed against the wall, watching the man clutch his eye while rolling and twisting in pain.

Casey breathed deeply, her hands shaking slightly as she held the gun relaxed and comfortable in her hands. She was ready to channel her emotions and release them; she couldn't bottle them up much longer. Her finger tightened on the trigger but her mind screamed at her _"You can't do this here! The team will be analyzing your reactions; no way can you fake being concerned about killing scum like him…you won't be able to act normal!"_

She hesitated, trying to wrap her head around what to do. Before she could choose, the man had recovered glaring at her. His eyes were full of anger and rage. He ran towards her and grabbed her neck with both hands. Casey couldn't breathe and her vision blurring at the edges. Despite her will, the muscles in her hand released the gun. She fell towards the ground almost blacking out when he released his hands from her neck and grabbed the gun, sticking it into his waistband.

He shoved her body roughly against one of the mirrors, smashing it into pieces instantly. She fell to the floor once again. Casey's eyes spotted a rather large sharp piece of glass next to her. She picked it up gingerly, but quickly and hid it behind her back. The man reached to grab her again, she scrambled away, and the piece of glass cut her back. She pulled the shard out swiftly and jabbed the glass into his arm before he could react. He began to scream wildly.

***********************

Emily and the team could hear glass shattering and screams coming from behind the door. They were all standing near the restroom door. Hotch had given into a pleading Emily and allow her to join them against his better judgment. They had been listening to the cries and screams, but noticed none of them were coming from Casey to Emily's relief. They could tell she was putting up a fight, but then the room went silent.

"What's going on…why is it silent?" Rossi asked worried.

The team jumped slightly when all of a sudden they heard a gun shot. Hostage Rescue still hadn't arrived but the approaching sirens indicated that they would be there soon.

"We have to go in, there's no time to wait for HRT." Hotch said readying his weapon.

The rest of the team fell into formation around the door, guns ready in their hands. Morgan slammed his shoulder in the door. The cheaply made diner door gave under his force and the team swept into the room.

There was blood on the walls and floor. Morgan saw the man lying on the floor blood pooling around him. Hotch felt for his pulse and then cuffed him. He was only unconscious. Rossi and Reid went outside to get HRT and direct the paramedics where to go.

Casey sat propped up against a wall, her face cold in determination. The flood of emotions that flowed through her after stabbing him was exhilarating. Much more invigorating than pressing the trigger on a gun, but also more dangerous.

She noticed the team had entered. She closed her eyes, repeating, _be shocked, be shocked _in her head. Emily and JJ ran towards her being careful not to slip in some of the blood. JJ grabbed the gun off the floor, clicking the safety on. Emily crouched on the ground next to Casey.

"Casey, are you… are you okay?" Emily said, barely holding it together. She was supposed to watch over her cousin, not get her injured.

Casey sat faking a stunned look; it wasn't like it was her first time hurting someone. She slowly nodded yes. _Good so far,_ she thought. She seemed to be fooling them. A wave of relief swept over Emily's face.

"We need to get you to the hospital. Can you move at all? Are you hurt somewhere?"

She nodded, afraid that if she spoke, her calm voice would give her away. She felt numb, adrenalin and endorphins protecting her from pain.

Paramedics rushed into the room, carrying their bags and a backboard.

"She's bleeding from her back." Emily said in a panicked voice.

Casey had to be all right. Emily looked towards the door; Garcia was standing in the door way, shock filling her face. The paramedics loaded her up on a waiting ambulance, Emily riding with her, and the team following.


	8. Chapter 8: The Hospital

**A/N: co-written by Auraya-of-the-White. I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS OR ITS CHARCTERS. Please read and review**

**A/N: Thanks everyone for waiting! We didn't forget about you guys :) hope you all enjoy this chapter! Please rewiew!**

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It only took seven minutes to get to the nearest hospital and only a couple of hours for Casey to leave. Casey left against medical advice, insisting she was fine. Surprisingly she only had a small cut and a broken left wrist. She walked out to the Emergency Room where Rossi, Hotch, JJ, Garcia, Morgan, Reid, and Emily were waiting. They all stood up when she entered.

Casey hadn't noticed the doctor following her until he started calling her from across the room, "Casey, _Casey_!!!"

She turned around, "Yes, what do you need Doctor?"

The team focused on the conversation and the doctor spoke again, "I strongly advise you to stay overnight so we can make sure nothing happens to the laceration on your back."

Casey took a deep breath, "I'm fine Doctor. I just want to go back Emily's place, so we can go see all the touristy spots."

Emily gently tugged on the doctor's arm, and pulled her to the other side of the room.

"Is she okay to leave?"

The doctor sighed and shifted her weight. She was about to answer, when she heard some loud clicking noises coming from the sliding door entrance. A wave of reporters and paparazzi blasted through the door running chaotically into the room. Apparently, the spectators at the diner decided to call the press.

Casey was in the middle of a conversation with the team describing what happened, when she saw a wave of people with cameras sweeping into the cramped ER. Their heads darted around quickly, looking for a girl of Casey's description.

Before she could react they were snapping pictures and pestering her with rapidly fired questions about what had happened earlier that day. Casey stood there stunned, while Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan tried to push the group away, using their physical stature. Reid, Garcia and JJ tried to shield Casey from the cameras.

Some news crews arrived as well and Hotch, Rossi, and Morgan were outnumbered. The ER had turned into a chaotic mess, press people everywhere. The nurses were shouting and cacophony of noises filled the air.

The bumbling crowd knocked Casey off her feet. While Emily helped Casey up and the team retreated to a cluster of chairs. Emily sat Casey on a chair and pulled JJ towards her.

"JJ, can you talk to the press and get them to leave? All the injured people waiting for care are being harmed."

JJ nodded and walked confidently towards the group, "May I have your attention please?"

Everyone turned towards JJ. Her presence commanded their interest, and she smiled, "I'm Agent Jennifer Jareau with the FBI. Please follow me outside for a statement."

JJ managed to lead the entire group outside the ER, so that the doctors could once again do their jobs properly.

She began, as the news crews started recording, "The events today were tragic, we have one fatality and an emotionally and physically scarred twelve year-old. But I…we ask you to not make Casey's life any more painful and please leave her alone. I will answer a few questions at this moment."

A roar of voices flooded JJ.

"Please one at a time. I'll do my best to answer all of your questions."

"You said her name was Casey, what's her last name?"

"I'm sorry; I'm not revealing personal information of a minor."

"We heard she has a personal connection to one of your team members."

JJ looked towards Emily, and she nodded in approval.

"Yes, she is a family member of SSA Prentiss."

"What type of family connection?"

"Sorry, it's private information."

"What will happen to the murderer?"

"I don't know. It's up to the district attorney's office."

One of the female paparazzi got a phone call, and then immediately asked, "I just got a call and my source says that Casey's parents were killed in France, is this true?"

Casey looked up in disbelief, and tears welled up in her eyes.

She looked towards Emily, "Is that true?"

Emily nodded her head, "Casey, I'm so sorry. I was waiting for a better time to tell you."

Some tears spilled onto her cheeks, but she angrily rubbed them again. She didn't always get along with her parents, but of course she still loved them. A hollow ache filled her chest.

"That's enough questions, please leave now." JJ turned away from the press, when one grabbed her arm and she was pulled into a pit of cameras and people. The news people were greedy for a story. She was crowded in and could not move.

The rest of the team, minus Garcia, had exited the ER to hear JJ's conference. They were rather alarmed at the uncontrollable atmosphere of the crowd.

"Hotch, Morgan, can you guys help me here?!" JJ shouted.

Thank goodness, she wasn't claustrophobic. Reid and Rossi, along with Morgan and Hotch, shouldered their way through the bunch.

"Everyone leave now or I'll have you all arrested!!" Hotch threatened calmly with a frigid glare at the group. The crowd began to scatter, as they escorted JJ back to Casey and Garcia. After they had all left, Morgan looked at Hotch, and said "Sir, you couldn't have arrested them, you don't have probable cause."

Hotch gave a rare smile, and replied, "I know that, but they don't."

*******************

The men had left leaving Emily, JJ, Garcia, and Casey at the hospital.

"Hey kiddo, it's been a rough day. Why don't we go back to Emily's place so you can change your clothes? Then we can all go get some ice cream and hang out."

Garcia fiddled around with her phone while talking.

"As long as you're up to it," Emily added protectively, "You've dealt with so much today; we need to have a long discussion."

Casey nodded in agreement, and smiled, "That would be cool. I need to take my mind off of things."

Just as they were about to leave, JJ got a call "Agent Jareau…Yeah we deal with those types of cases…..eight victims?... no evidence?... I'll see what I can do."

JJ hung up the phone.

"What was that about?" Emily inquired, looking at her watch.

"Sounds like a new case," she replied before calling Hotch, "Hey Hotch, I think we have a case. Can you meet us at the BAU in 30 minutes?...Okay see you then."


End file.
